Wags, I doubt USC is stupid enough to make the same mistake Michigan did. Here's a few candidates:

National Football Post wrote:

Who may be on USC's wish list? Trojans athletic director Mike Garrett to begin the search for a new head coach. Dave Miller

So where does USC go from here?

With Pete Carroll turning in his resignation and preparing to take over head coaching duties for the Seattle Seahawks, the question in Los Angeles becomes which candidates will the USC administration turn to in conducting its search for his replacement?

Oregon State head coach Mike Riley, who was believed to be athletic director Mike Garrett’s top choice for replacing Carroll, signed a three-year extension Sunday evening with the Beavers to remain in Corvallis.

Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher and University of Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian have already informed the Trojans that they aren't interested in the job, leading to speculation that Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio may be a leading candidate. However, USC officials reportedly are concerned about offering him the job — potentially because of Del Rio's lack of college coaching experience.

As speculation runs rampant, let’s take a glance at some coaches who may be the most logical candidates on Garrett’s wish list after some big names have already withdrawn themselves from consideration.

Jim Harbaugh, Stanford head coach: He signed an extension with the Cardinal through 2014, but he continues to be one of the hottest coaching candidates for any opening. He already turned down Kansas’ wooing, but USC isn’t Kansas.

Norm Chow, UCLA offensive coordinator: Does Chow finally get his long-awaited, much-deserved opportunity to be a head coach? His offensive vision helped BYU win its only national title in 1984, and USC won the 2003 AP national championship and the 2004 BCS national championship.

Carl Smith, Cleveland Browns QB coach: Kind of an unknown, Smith was Matt Leinart’s position coach during USC’s 2004 national-title season. Will his relationship with Carroll, though, be a turn-off for Garrett?

Herman Edwards, former Jets and Chiefs head coach: USC already has contacted the ESPN studio analyst, but his NFL pedigree does not seem to be a fit at all.

Lane Kiffin, University of Tennessee head coach: Highly unlikely that the former ‘SC offensive coordinator would entertain a return to Los Angeles, but if Kiffin feels like he’s already caused too much of a stir in Knoxville…

Boise State's Chris Peterson, Utah's Kyle Whittingham, TCU's Gary Patterson and even BYU’s Bronco Mendenhall are all candidates who should be seriously considered for this position, but it seems more likely that a non-BCS head coach will get passed over once again.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio has been with the team for seven years, compiling a 58-57 record, and it looks like he is going to get out of Florida before his record goes below .500 there. The rumor is that Del Rio, who is still under contract in Florida, will be moving his show along to USC now that Pete Carroll has left there to take over coaching duties for the Seattle Seahawks, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Del Rio was a star at USC, leading the team to the 1985 Rose Bowl, where he was the game's MVP. While there, Del Rio also played baseball with Mark McGwire and Randy Johnson, batting .340.

Del Rio must be hoping the Jags fire him and tries to buy out the remaining $15 million on his contract, according to the Sun-Times, but it doesn't appear that the team is interested in doing that.

Of course, Del Rio could always resign from the Jaguars and get nothing. After all, you can't put a price on the opportunity for him to go and hang out with his Delta Chi brothers at the house again, right?

USC -- also known as the University of Semipro Collegians -- stands at a crossroads today, and the traffic lights are out in all directions.

The school's athletic department is ripe to be run over by onrushing traffic -- NCAA investigators coming from one direction, vengeful Pacific-10 rivals from another. USC should prepare for tire tracks across its reputation and a head-on collision with humility.

In the face of his first hint of adversity at USC, football coach Pete Carroll is fleeing for the National Football League. Once there, he will attempt to do what Nick Saban, Steve Spurrier, Mike Riley, Dennis Erickson, Rich Brooks, Bobby Petrino and, hey, Pete Carroll could not do previously -- win and be happy. Carroll's departure happens to come when his most recent star tailback, Joe McKnight, is facing scrutiny for driving an expensive car that's not his, and when an age-old investigation into a former star tailback, Reggie Bush, could be gaining new momentum.

And there is a smoking crater where the USC men's basketball program is supposed to be. The Trojans are overachieving under first-year coach Kevin O'Neill, but that will be moot come March. The school has banned itself from postseason play this year, trimmed scholarships, curtailed recruiting, forfeited victories and returned NCAA tournament revenue for shenanigans involving rent-a-star O.J. Mayo during the 2007-08 season.

Those are the headline stories involving USC athletics in the first two weeks of 2010. Happy new year, Trojans.

A coaching legend must be replaced in football at the precise time when the program is under NCAA investigation, is coming off its worst season since 2001 and has at least two standout juniors (one of them McKnight) headed to the NFL. A basketball program must be rebuilt while potentially facing additional sanctions from the NCAA, and while being headed by a coaching nomad who last had a winning conference record in 1994.

At a time like this, an athletic department needs strong, galvanic leadership. All USC has is Mike Garrett.

The athletic director won the 1965 Heisman Trophy as a running back. His elusiveness has carried over into athletic administration, where he has smoothly avoided accountability for the mounting messes on his watch.

When times are tough in TrojanLand, Garrett has a terrific little Wizard of Oz answer: He records messages that are broadcast on the school's athletic Web site. That's what he did on Jan. 3, when the school announced its self-imposed basketball sanctions.

That has one advantage, if you're Garrett. You don't have to answer any questions.

And there are plenty of questions to be answered. Namely: What are you going to do now?

Let's start with the purely pragmatic: If Garrett is allowed to keep his job and hire the next USC football coach, Trojans fans should hold their breath.

Before landing Carroll, his previous football hires were John Robinson Part II (like most sequels, not nearly as good as the original) and Paul Hackett (outright bust). Carroll has been a grand slam, but he was not Garrett's first choice.

Undoubtedly, the program is in such strong shape that it will attract high-end applicants. But don't underestimate Garrett's ability to bring in the wrong coach.

The larger question is whether Garrett is the right guy to restore faith in the school's athletic integrity. I've written this before, but it bears repeating: USC's acceptance of Mayo, given the timing and circumstances, was indefensible. In the long and sketchy history of college basketball, it ranks among the all-time examples of compliance negligence.

The Bush scandal was in full boil after allegations that the family of the 2005 Heisman winner had been accepting housing and other kickbacks from prospective agents. Mayo was super-talented but radioactive: Everyone with a clue knew he had compromised his amateur status long before reaching college. And the fact that the guy fronting for Mayo was Rodney Guillory -- a scammer who helped render former Trojan Jeff Trepagnier ineligible for a good chunk of the 2000-01 basketball season -- should have sent the school sprinting in the opposite direction.

USC overlooked all of that. It might as well have flown an airplane banner over campus that said, "Trouble, Come Find Us!"

Trouble came and set up shop in Los Angeles. It cost Tim Floyd -- one of five USC hoops coaches in the past nine years -- his job. It has undercut the current season. And it has all but guaranteed that the Trojans will remain well outside national contender status for the foreseeable future.

What did USC get for its Faustian bargain with Mayo? One NCAA tournament game. A loss to Kansas State.

The Trojans got a lot more out of Bush, largely because they kept him on campus for three years instead of one. Same with McKnight. They were part of a glorious but potentially tainted run at USC. And the ongoing scrutiny associated with those two players must be considered a factor in Carroll's decision to jump from one of the best jobs in all of coaching.

Now they've all gone pro: Bush, Mayo, McKnight and Carroll. Accountability is left to Mike Garrett -- and he doesn't do accountability terribly well.

His athletic department is at a crossroads, with traffic bearing down from all sides. Somebody call a wrecker.

I have a feeling that USC is going to be hit hard by the NCAA after their investigation is complete. Everybody knows that they cheat (even more than O$U, steensn) and it's about time that they finally get caught.

_________________

January 12th, 2010, 10:54 am

steensn

RIP Killer

Joined: June 26th, 2006, 1:03 pmPosts: 13429

Lol... everyone does something... it just matters WHO is doing it. Most of the schools themselves are obviously not the one orchestrating the things... but crazy boosters with money always find ways to "help." I can tell you for sure JT would not stand for any of it if he found out or caught someone. Whether it be grade fixing or money.

Mariucci in the mix at USC
Posted by Michael David Smith on January 12, 2010 1:39 PM ET
Pete Carroll's departure from USC to become the Seattle Seahawks' head coach is continuing to make waves in the NFL coaching community.

The latest news involves former Lions and 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci, who may be a candidate to replace Carroll at USC.

Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that USC has been in contact with Mariucci, and that Mariucci would welcome the opportunity to return to coaching. Although Schefter says USC's contact with Mariucci has been informal so far, the news that Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio plans to stay in Jacksonville could cause Mariucci's contact with USC to heat up.

Mariucci has one year of experience as a college head coach, leading Cal to a 6-6 record in 1996.

Del RioJACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio denied Tuesday that he has been made an offer by USC to replace Pete Carroll as Trojans football coach.

According to an unattributed report in the Los Angeles Daily News, the newspaper said USC presented a formal offer to the 46-year-old Del Rio -- who played linebacker at USC but has never coached in college -- on Monday.

"All of those things are manufactured," Del Rio, who played at USC from 1981 to 1984, told WJXT of Jacksonville. "The only thing I can tell you is I've been busy working on the Jaguars for 2010. We're busy at work, trying to build this thing strong."

Mike and Mike in the Morning

ESPN.com senior NFL analyst John Clayton says there is a big meeting Tuesday in Jacksonville that should determine the fate of coach Jack Del Rio, who could end up replacing Pete Carroll at USC. Clayton also updates the latest in Buffalo and Oakland.

More Podcasts »"All of those other things are a figment of other people's imaginations."

Del Rio is scheduled to meet with Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver to discuss his future with the franchise on Tuesday. Del Rio has three years and $15 million remaining on his contract and would be owed all of that money if he were fired.

The Jags (7-9) finished the season on a four-game losing streak and faded out of playoff contention in Del Rio's seventh year as coach.

Weaver declined to speculate on Del Rio's future.

"Look, you know I'm not going to get into those things," he said, according to The Associated Press. "Jack Del Rio is our coach right now."

Jacksonville last made the playoffs in 2007 and fans' discontent seemed to reach a crescendo in '09, when Jacksonville blacked out nine of 10 home games. Ticket prices have been cut for 2010 in an attempt to lure back some of the 17,000 season-ticket holders who did not renew last year.

With Del Rio possibly out of the picture, former San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci and USC have been in contact in recent days, two sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Mariucci works as an analyst at NFL Network, but he has expressed an interest in returning to coaching with the right opportunity.